There may be relief for headache sufferers

According to the National Headache Foundation, over 45 million Americans suffer from chronic, recurring headaches and of these, 28 million suffer from migraines. About 20 percent of children and adolescents also experience significant headaches.

There are many different kinds of headaches and they include tension headaches, migraine headaches, cluster migraines, acute headaches, sinus headaches, hormone headaches and chronic progressive headaches.

Headaches, like lower back pain, can have multiple causes and can be treated with a wide range of modalities including: over the counter medications, prescription medications, hypnosis, meditation, biofeedback, chiropractic adjustments and changes in diet and nutrition.

Headaches can be quite painful, frustrating and, in some instances, debilitating. A small study may indicate that some people can get relief from headaches by eliminating gluten from their diets. In this study, 90 percent of the headache sufferers got significant relief when they eliminated gluten from their diets.

Interestingly, an MRI scan of these patients indicated that these people had inflammation in their central nervous system which may have been caused by their reaction to gluten.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, oats, barley and rye.

According to Dr. Nate Lebowitz, a Fort Lee cardiologist, who is an expert on nutrition and preventive medicine, "Some people have a gluten sensitivity. These individuals sometimes can suffer with celiac disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, headaches and a host of other ailments which may be caused by this sensitivity."

My wife has suffered from headaches for many years. Like many headaches sufferers, she has consulted with many different kinds of doctors and tried many different kinds of medications and treatments.

Recently, she eliminated gluten from her diet and she reports a significant decrease in the frequency and intensity of her headaches. She reported 80 percent less pain and fewer headaches during her first month on a gluten-free eating regime.

Gluten is present in many foods in some medicines and in some cosmetic products. And it is not easy to remain on a gluten free diet. However, the relief from pain and the idea of getting off medication is very appealing and desirable to some headache sufferers.

If you eliminate gluten and your headaches diminish or disappear, you then ought to reintroduce the gluten and see if your symptoms return or not. This will help to determine whether your headaches are related to your diet or not.

So, if you or someone you know suffers with headaches, you may want to explore the benefits of this kind of eating regime.Jay P. Granat, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist in River Edge and the Founder of StayInTheZone.com.